This isn't specifically an angora bunny or Hillside Farm event, but since we have the webpage for the bunnies, we may as well use it to showcase our Hawaii home for sale.
So far this is the only place we have the home 'listed'. Once the pictures and such are up here on the bunny's website, then we will figure out how to navigate all those other home for sale websites. I also need to go take more pictures, it's possibly impossible to have too many pictures?
To see a larger picture, just click on it and it will become larger, then hit the 'back' button to return to this page. On my cellphone, that's the sideways triangle near the bottom, not sure where it may be on yours.
Anyway, now on to the Home in Hawaii for sale!
This classic Hawaii home is on a quiet safe street, there's frequently kids riding bicycles and folks walking their dogs. The yard is fairly flat in front and has a gentle slope in back. One side of the back yard is about three feet higher than the neighbors and the ocean side of the back yard is a bit higher than that, so even though there are neighbors nearby, there is a lot of privacy in the back yard because of the height differences. The whole backyard is fenced so no worries about any height differences and gravity. There's a lovely Russian Olive hedge on two sides, although it has just lately been severely trimmed across the back. But, this is Hawaii, it will grow back very quickly.
The solar panels you see on the roof are photovoltaic panels for solar electric as well as several for the hot water system. The electric rates in Hawaii are the highest in the nation and it's not uncommon for folks to have electric bills that can run more than several hundred dollars a month. With this fully owned solar system, the usual electric bill is around $28 per month. Which in Hawaii is absolutely astonishing. This system has a "Net Energy Metering" (NEM) contract in place with HELCO. Which, I might add, is no longer available and very few homes were able to get them. These NEM contracts are a 'one watt in equals one watt out' type of contract and HELCO only allowed them for the first few years when they were encouraging folks to go to renewable energy. The NEM contract can be transferred to the new owner of this home.
The solar photovoltaic system is 'grid tied' so that means there is no battery bank or back up generator. When living in this home, you can't tell that it is a green energy house until you get the electric bill and notice how incredibly low it is. Much easier than an entirely off-grid system. Folks living entirely off the grid with photovoltaic systems always have to monitor their energy use and check up on battery connections or start up a generator when there's been cloudy days. This grid tied NEM system is an absolute joy to own.
The carport is not only able to park two cars, but there's also additional covered parking alongside of it as well. Behind the three green doors at the back is a bonus area, there's also a small work shop at the back of the carport, too. On a rainy day, being able to easily stay dry while loading or unloading the car is really great. It's also nice to keep the car shaded so it's not hot on a summer's day. You will be able to appreciate the generous size of it while doing many things.
The expansive back deck overlooks the blue Pacific ocean with the ocean breezes keeping it nice and cool. There is lots of room for dining, entertaining and relaxing.
There are two steps down from the house. It was built that way so the railing wouldn't obscure the ocean's horizon. There are two sets of stairs down into the yard. One at the back and the other at the side of the deck. The 'floating' steps are shallow steps, easy to walk up and down. Having access to the back yard from the back deck makes the yard much more useful. Before the deck was built with the French doors, the only yard access was from the kitchen door so it wasn't used as much.
This is Hawaii, a lot of time is spent outdoors. The huge back deck is like an extension of the living room and provides a lot more living space.
Warm Relaxing Bubbles!
Massage Jets
At night, the stars and Milky Way can be seen from the hot tub. In early evening, satellites can be seen moving across the night sky.
Four folks can be comfortable in the tub with lots of room for friends to sit nearby while visting with the folks in the tub. Lots of room for folks to cool down after tubbing.
Just outside the French doors are two steps down to the back deck. The hot tub is also set so you can get in and out of it without having to either climb up over a high side or get down on the floor to get in. The top edge is at seat height so a graceful hot tub entry and exit can be easily accomplished.
There is a metal square hoop which is used to easily take the cover off the tub. One person can easily open and close the cover. Just fold the cover back over the hoop and then the hoop is used to lift it back against the wall.
There are big picture windows in the living room overlooking the deck and the ocean. Since they are picture windows, there's no screens behind the glass to obscure the view so it's excellent viewing. The louvers below the windows allow lots of ventilation so the Trade Winds keep things at an even temperature.
This home was built in 1972 when knot free redwood was still available. The walls are clear finished redwood which provide a warm welcoming feel to the room. There's an authenticity and honesty in wood that you won't find in a laminate floor. The floor is solid oak, very durable and very kind on the feet.
Entirely Open Concept Floorplan
Adjustable Open Concept Floorplan with One Shoji
Adjustable Open Concept Floorplan with Two Shoji
Adjustable Not-So-Open Concept Floorplan
Clicking on the picures will bring up a larger picture for your viewing pleasure.
These lovely Shoji doors are easily removable, so they can either be there or not be there depending how you like it. Sometimes you may not want an entirely 'open concept plan' home and yet sometimes you may want a bit of wall between one room and another. With these shoji doors, you'll be able to have what you want when you want it.
There is a lot of storage in the kitchen. A pantry cabinet is over by the refrigerator and a broom closet is over by the kitchen door. There is also an additional storage room just outside the kitchen door in case more storage is needed.
The cooktop is glass and very easy to clean. It's a gas cooktop and the double ovens are gas as well. The countertops are laminate and the sink is stainless steel. Very much in keeping with the Mid Century construction of the home and very easy on your dishes. If a glass falls over in a stainless steel sink, it doesn't usually break. Try that in a ceramic on cast iron sink! Also, the laminate countertops don't break dishes or have grout lines to clean.
There is a cozy dine in area in the kitchen. It has a louvered window overlooking the back yard as well as the back deck.
Built in 1972, technically this home isn't officially 'Mid-Century' but it has a lot of Mid-Century feel to it. It's also built of honest and durable materials which are hard to source these days. The whole house is an easy keeper. From the no-painting-necessary exterior vinyl siding to the easy care yard and the low cost utilities, it's a house that is easy to care for and easy on expenses as well.
There are THREE good sized hall closets. It's not possible to have too many hall closets! These are generous sized closets with lights! How perfect is that?
Even the closet shelves are made of knot-free redwood with trim at the floor and ceiling inside the closet. This is a well built house, very well constructed and designed for comfort and easy living.
Just past the first hall closet is the door to the main bath. It has lovely blue tile around the bath with a sliding glass door. The toilet is tucked around the corner so it's not immediately visible when entering the bath, which is a nice touch. There's a vanity counter immediately inside the door with two drawers. It has a new mirror cabinet and flooring.
Just off the main bedroom is the second ensuite bath. It has a nice tiled shower area, a new toilet, a new bath cabinet, a new mirror cabinet and new flooring.
The solar powered hot water heater is directly outside the kitchen & bath wall so it doesn't take long for the water to heat up when you're drawing a nice warm bath or want a quick shower. It is adjacent to both baths as well as the kitchen sink and washing machine. The solar water heating panels are on the carport roof.
The warm wood walls have a lovely serenity, perfect for a great sleep experience. The authenticity and honesty of the natural material encourages relaxation which is perfect for easy sleep. The whole house has a lovely natural vibe.
The main bedroom not only has the ensuite bath, but it has cross ventilation windows to keep it fresh and cool. Since the ocean is so close, having access to the trade winds means the breezes keep the home at a nice comfortable temperature without the need for A/C or heaters.
The second bedroom also has cross ventilation similar to the Main Bedroom. It's very easy to sleep well in these serene bedrooms. The redwood walls and oak floors have a nice comfortable feel to them which encourages rest.
The third bedroom has three big windows so it is also well ventilated. In Hawaii, ventilation is a really good thing. The breezes keep things at a lovely temperature and the air here is fresh and clear. This bedroom has light blocking curtains for sleeping in late, should you want to.
Each bedroom has it's own roomy closet. They all have wooden by pass doors so the closet contents are easy to see and nothing can hide in the back and not ever be found.
Only two steps up to carry groceries into the kitchen from the big wide two car plus carport. So even if it's raining, it's still easy the groceries will still be dry. There's also a safety grab rail installed by the back door as well as more safety rails in the ensuite shower. This house was very thoughtfully built for all ages of the family.
This home has a lot of small custom details - such as the rounded corners on the kitchen steps. It was built by caring craftspeople and has a wonderful feel of care and attention to detail built into it.
Directly out from the kitchen door is the workshop where Mr. Matsumura made taiko drums. We've been using it as a general purpose workshop, it could be reinvented as an office, should you like. It has two louvered windows overlooking the back yard which allow natural light and ventilation.
The carport is huge and there aren't any posts in the middle of it, so no worries about parking the car in close quarters. It's a big open area great for all sorts of things other than parking cars, although it's a great place to park cars, too.
There's room for at least two cars under cover. Along with another car or boat over in the additional covered area on the side. That additional area has access to the back yard at the back of it. There's also access to the back yard at the kitchen side of the carport as well.
The workshop only extends halfway across the back of the very wide carport, so there's a 'bonus' area behind the workshop. It has three doors hung from a rail which lets them either be drawn across the space to seclude it or left open, depending on your desires.
This could be another office? A place to park the lawn mower? A craft space? A media room? A meditation space? The back wall faces the back yard, so if more light and ventilation were wanted, it would be easy enough to put in a window.
Between the additional covered parking and the large double carport, three cars plus assorted other items such as motorcycles or lawnmowers could all be parked here out of the weather. Or leave all the cars out in the weather and throw a party in the carport? Hmm, nope, that'd be for the back deck, guess the cars get to stay out of the sun and rain.
The easy way to garden in Hawaii is with fruit trees. There is a HUGE Lehua avocado tree. "Lehua" means 'red' in Hawaiian, and these are round red avocados. Very creamy and tasty! Plus there's loads of them.
When making guacamole with all those avocadoes, one will need lemons. Which isn't a problem, these are the old style round sweet lemon. The lemon tree has lemons pretty much all year round, the avocado tree is seasonal. But, one can always make lemonade out of the lemons when there's no avocados for guacamole.
Thornless Scented 'Lokelani' Roses
Ponytail Palm Tree
There's mature landscaping with various decorative plants. The Lokelani Rose is a scented and thornless rose which is almost always in bloom. There's also a gardenia bush which frequently has lovely scented blooms on it as well.
There is room for more fruit trees as well as all your other gardening projects.
This wonderful and comfortable Hawaii home is in Honokaa, which is a lovely small town on the Hamakua Coast of the Island of Hawaii (aka 'The Big Island'). Clear air, ocean breezes, gorgeous scenery and friendly people. We are about fifteen minutes from the larger town of Waimea and about forty five minutes from Hapuna Beach. Which is on the top ten beach list again this year. It's a lovely beach and would be on their list every year except they only allow it to be on there once every ten years.
We are almost equidistant between Hilo and Kona airports, although there is a small airport in Waimea which has the smaller inter-island planes. We like flying out of there when possible, much easier than the larger airports.
Honokaa is a complete little town, quite quaint and very friendly. The whole Hamakua Coast is lovely, but we like to think Honokaa is one of the best spots along the coast. There's a grocery store as well as a specialty Filipino grocery and a vegetable shop. There's a weekly Farmer's Market every weekend. Honokaa also has an assortment of mom-n-pop businesses along our little main street. Various restaurants and eateries, assorted boutiques, a lovely hardware store which is now up to Ikeuchi's and grand-daughters although they haven't changed their sign from Ikeuchi & Sons. The post office, police and fire stations are here, as well as an extension of the University of Hawaii. A park and skate park, a swimming pool, library, assorted temples and churches, elementary and high school, a hospital, etc. Pretty much everything you can expect to find in a well equipped small town, including a pretty nice rodeo arena.
There's several town events throughout the year. Western Week is in the spring, that has the rodeo arena pretty busy with the rodeo and a parade and party in town. Saloon girl contest, chili cookoff and singing cowboys, along with everyone wearing their best cowboy hats and boots - spurs are optional. In the fall is the Peace Parade, which is put on by the Honokaa Hongwanji (Buddhist temple) in conjunction with the United Nations. There's also the Homecoming Parade for Honokaa High School. Each month on First Friday, there's folks in town in the early evening with music and food. Honokaa has enough events to keep things lively without being too busy, it's an emminently comfortable small town.
The home will be listed for $625K and it probably won't last very long once it gets listed on the big real estate sites. If you'd like to schedule a showing or want more information such as the exact address so you can drive by, send us an email. Once it gets listed on the big sites, then there will be phone numbers and addresses online.
If that link doesn't work, the email address is: HillsideFarmHawaii@yahoo.com